Liverpool fans all spot the same Ryan Gravenberch problem emerging after Galatasaray loss

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Liverpool lost 1-0 to Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday night, and supporters noticed a major problem with Ryan Gravenberch.

Arne Slot’s side were underwhelming again and fell to a narrow defeat in Turkey after Victor Osimhen’s first-half penalty, following a foul from Dominik Szoboszlai.

The Reds were simply unable to get going in attack, despite Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz trying their best to combine, and not even substitute Alexander Isak could bring them level.

Several issues are beginning to rear their ugly heads at the worst possible time for Slot, and the Liverpool faithful appear especially concerned with one area.

Liverpool fans worried Ryan Gravenberch isn’t helping Florian Wirtz

Indeed, supporters were not impressed with Ryan Gravenberch’s performance against Galatasaray.

The midfielder found himself overrun by his opponents all too often and was shown a yellow card after clumsily bringing down Osimhen on the edge of the box.

That left him walking a tightrope defensively, and he was also unable to feed through his side’s forwards.

Wirtz is struggling to find consistency, and he was particularly isolated despite dropping into promising positions. During the game, Reds viewers couldn’t believe how often Gravenberch failed to pick him out.

One said on X: “The amount of times Gravenberch ignores Wirtz is ridiculous.”

Another agreed, adding: “Same issue [Kylian] Mbappe had last year. Likes of Szoboszlai, Gravenberch, [Curtis] Jones think they’re as good as Wirtz so they’re not bothered to give him the ball.”

A third wrote: “You’d hate to be Florian Wirtz. Our defence takes three extra touches or looks at him before they actually play the pass, no wonder he’s got no time on the ball! Offside by the time Gravenberch decides to pass to him with that long ball.”

“Jones and Gravenberch is just side-to-side passing reminiscent of Hendo FC. No bravery or decisive through balls at all,” a fourth said in a damning verdict. “Wirtz being starved of passes.”

However, one supporter believes Wirtz is to blame for the lack of service.

“Because he loses the ball far too often. Even Gravenberch is avoiding him. Wirtz needs to do better at protecting the ball,” they wrote.

Florian Wirtz has to offer more for Liverpool

There is no denying that Wirtz is a mercurial talent, capable of producing sheer magic out of nowhere.

But as of now, it just isn’t working for him at Liverpool. The balance of the team isn’t right when he starts as the playmaker, and that’s taking a big toll on how the team are building up attacks this season.

Wirtz is too easily shrugged off the ball, and while he does move into promising positions, he often isn’t found after being crowded out. He has also been guilty of making too many wrong decisions.

The pace of the Premier League looks too much for him, but Slot must keep the faith. One day, it will eventually click, and Wirtz could then go on to light up the top-flight and justify his enormous price tag.